2nd World Breastfeeding Conference

The conference will provide a comprehensive overview of the collective action, adoption and alignment of regional and country level strategies,focus will also be on a plan towards targets set in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Areas that are fundamental to achieving good nutrition, like the framework for action on child malnutrition including emerging obesity and HIV/AIDS will also be further analysed.

According to statistics, poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days of children’s lives can have irreversible consequences on health while good nutrition through exclusive breastfeeding for six months, significantly improves a child’s chance of survival and long term good health. According to the Lancet Breastfeeding series, breastfeeding reduces the incidences of type 2 diabetes by as much as 35% and the incidence of obesity by 13%.

Key Messages • Worldwide breastfeeding rates are low; the 2nd World Breastfeeding Conference (WBC2) is part of the advocacy tool to increase breastfeeding in order to meet the maternal infant and young child targets. • The conference aims to provide a platform for collective action, adoption and alignment of regional and country level strategies. o Focus will also be on targets set in the sustainable development goals (SDGs). • The conference aims to highlight breastfeeding in a human rights framework emphasising women’s rights, children’s rights and the basic right to food and nutrition and maternity protection. o To generate ideas for further resource mobilisation and or strengthening of interventions.